CHERRY TREE COMPANIES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Managing Partner in
Chad Johnson is a Managing Partner in Cherry Tree & Associates' investment banking practice. Chad has a long and successful track record advising owners and entrepreneurs in the sale of their businesses, and advising numerous public and private companies in the acquisition of complementary businesses. Chad's previous experience includes building and selling a successful software firm, managing corporate M&A, and working in a venture capital firm. He received his BA and MBA from the University of Minnesota.
Chuck Gorman was a Managing Director at Cherry Tree for 20 years and proved to be an extremely successful investment banker. He always put his clients first, and in doing so, turned his engagements into big successes and enduring relationships.
Chuck had a huge impact on our firm both financially and culturally. He was a true gentleman, mentor, and leader - a dear and trusted friend forever.
Dave Latzke is a Managing Partner at Cherry Tree & Associates, LLC and leads the Industrial Group.
Dave joined Cherry Tree in 2007 and leads the Firm's Industrial Group. He has more than 35 years experience serving as financial advisor and CFO across many industries. Dave's experience includes the capital markets (debt and equity/public and private), acquisition and divestiture transactions, restructuring projects, as well as public offerings. Over the past 15 years, Dave's focus has been on Sell-Side Advisory Services.
Prior to joining Cherry Tree, Dave spent 11 years with Arthur Andersen working with entrepreneurial private and public companies and was CFO at Fourth Shift and SoftBrands for a combined 13 years. In addition to his M&A advisory work in his early years at the firm, he served as SVP and CFO of Znomics, Inc., and Cherry Tree Acquisition Corp., former Cherry Tree affiliates.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Administrative Assistant
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Director
- Senior Executive Director, Technology
Elmer Baldwin has a 30-year track record in information technologies, professional services, SaaS and digital media, including 20 years as President / CEO of five information technology companies. Baldwin is a skilled executive, operator and advisor experienced with early, turnaround and growth stage companies. He has worked under virtually all ownership and governance structures including in publicly-traded companies, private-equity syndicates, and owner-operator situations. He has a history of launching innovative solutions to transform companies and industries. As CEO, he has led many strategic transactions that delivered operating performance and / or liquidity for shareholders and creditors, including mergers & acquisitions, recapitalizations, divestitures and post-merger integrations.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman
- Founder
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director in
Mik Gusenius is a Managing Director in Cherry Tree & Associates' investment banking practice. With more than 10 years of experience advising companies across a range of industries, Mik has been involved in more than 30 completed M&A transactions totaling nearly $1 billion of transaction value. Previous engagements include work with Deluxe Corporation (NYSE:DLX), CTI Group (OTC:CTIG), and Avtex.
Mike has a deep background in education technology, agriculture technology, corporate strategy, early-stage growth investing, government affairs and public relations. As Vice President for Public Affairs and Strategy at Capella Education Company, Mike was engaged in multiple aspects of Capella's nearly $2 billion merger with Strayer Education, Co. Prior to coming to Cherry Tree, Mike worked on creating innovative student loan solutions as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Whiteboard Advisors, a Washington D.C.-based strategy firm focused on the education sector. Mike has been a frequent speaker on developing trends in higher education and workforce development. He has been a mentor for the Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator and in addition to making his own angel investments he is a limited partner in Bread and Butter Ventures and Dundee Ventures. Mike's previous experience includes working at Chief-of-Staff to then U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel and serving as Managing Director of CLS, a public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. He received his BA from Creighton University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive Director
- Senior Executive Director in
Scott Brown is a Senior Executive Director in Cherry Tree & Associates investment banking practice with a focus on Healthcare and Technology M&A. He brings a unique skill set as a Founder, Inventor, Executive, and Board Member. His experience spans over 25 years at Public and Private companies and includes building, scaling and transforming VC and PE backed companies. Throughout his career he has been involved in many fundraising events and M&A processes. With his operating experience and the backing of four decades of expertise from the Cherry Tree team, he advises owners and business executives on liquidity goals, recapitalizations and acquisition strategies.
Wayne was a Managing Director at Cherry Tree for more than 10 years. He was also a co-founder of Entrepreneurs House (E-House), a community service project for the Twin Cities entrepreneurial community.
Wayne had a tremendous influence on everyone at Cherry Tree. He was deeply admired and his memory continues to be an inspiration to all of us.